Wellbeing

10 Healthy, Fool-Proof Recipes Every Millennial Should Know

By Rosie Mansfield 30 April 2016

The Cusp‘s Gen Y nutrition expert, Rosie Mansfield, has compiled her 10 favourite fool-proof recipes for Millennials – because there’s more to young-adult life than eggs on toast and spag bol.

These dishes are delicious, nutritionally sound, and fancy-looking-but-super-easy-to-make. Master these recipes and you’ll satisfy both belly and ego: your culinary repertoire is about to get a whole lot more impressive.

1 / 10

Home-made baked beans

A super quick and filling weekday rustle up that you can guarantee has less sugar and salt than the cheeky ones found in a tin.

Ingredients

1 chopped brown onion
1 crushed garlic clove
1 tin chopped tomatoes
2 tins drained borlotti beans
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon organic maple syrup
1 tablespoon olive oil
Pinch of sea salt and black pepper

Method

Serves 4 – V:DF:GF

Sauté onion and garlic in olive oil until lightly golden.

Add chopped tomatoes and mix.

Add beans (soak overnight if irritates gut), sea salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce and maple syrup then cook for 10 minutes.

Serve on sourdough with handful of fresh raw spinach.

Image: The Healthy Chef

2 / 10

Raw lime ‘cheesecake’

We all need a good cake up our sleeves and who doesn’t like cheesecake? The great thing about this one is it doesn’t actually have any cheese; instead, you bypass the calories and gain that silky, creamy texture from soaking and blending raw cashews. Soaking breaks down the phytic acid in nuts, enabling you to easily absorb all their nutritional goodness. And with no baking, this is a piece of literal pie.

Ingredients

Base:

1 cup almonds
½ cup dates
2 tablespoons of coconut oil
¼ teaspoon sea salt

Filling:

1½ cups raw cashew nuts (Soaked in water for 3 hours)
¼ cup coconut milk
½ cup fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons of lime zest
3 tablespoons of honey
6 tablespoons of coconut oil
Dash of vanilla extract

Method

Serves 12 V:DF:GF

Put all of the base ingredients in the food processor & blitz until it is fine and sticky.

Place 1 large tablespoon of the base mixture into the bottom of each muffin patty and press down. You should be able to make 6- 8 bases.

Place the base in the freezer to set while you make the topping.

To make the topping place the cashew nuts in the food processor & process until you make cashew butter.

Add all of the other ingredients & whiz for a further minute.

Spoon the topping onto the base mixture & put back in the freezer to set for up to an hour.

About 15 minutes before you are ready to serve the desserts take out of the freezer to let thaw a little.

Serve with a wedge of lime and a dusting of lime zest.

Image: Wellness With Taryn

3 / 10

Green omelette

Everyone should have a fail-sale recipe, and eggs are a crowd favourite. Whip up some eggs for breakfast, lunch or dinner to keep you lean – and add extra greens! (And why not add a side of home-made beans?)

Ingredients

2 eggs
Dash of milk of choice
1 tablespoon of chopped chives
1 handful spinach
1 knob of organic butter
Pinch salt and pepper

Method

Serves: 1 GF

Whisk eggs with a fork and season with chives, salt and pepper.

Heat butter in a small non-stick frypan over medium heat.

Add egg and spread evenly over pan.

After 30 seconds, the egg should be set.

Add spinach and use a fork to fold one side of the omelette over the filling.

4 / 10

Easy tin-foil salmon

The quickest and easiest way to get high-quality lean protein and omega 3 into your diet.

Ingredients

1 salmon fillet
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 pinch of salt and pepper
2 ripped basil leaves
1 chopped garlic clove
1 lemon slice

Method

Serves: 1 – DF:GF

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.

Place salmon on aluminium foil, and drizzle olive oil on top of the salmon. Season with salt, pepper, basil, garlic or your favourite spices.

Add fully aluminium foil-covered salmon to the oven and cook for about 15-20 minutes, depending on the size of your fillet.

Serve with a lemon slice.

Image: The Log Home Kitchen

5 / 10

Dairy-free banana and cacao ‘nice-cream’

All you need is two minutes and a blender to curb your cravings the healthy way. Raw cacao is superfood full of antioxidants (nearly four times the antioxidant power of your average dark chocolate!) and freezing and then blending bananas creates the perfect ice-creamy texture. You don’t need to add any sugar, either, making this a much healthier (yet equally as delicious) alternative to ice cream.

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Ingredients

3 bananas, peeled, sliced and frozen overnight
½ cup unsweetened almond milk (or other non-dairy milk)
1-2 tablespoon raw cacao powder

Method

Serves: 2 – V:DF:GF

Add all the ingredients into your blender or food processer.

Blend and eat with a spoon.

Once you’ve mastered this, you can add all sorts of amazing toppings or flavours, such as natural peanut butter; strawberry; cacao nibs; chopped nuts and so on.

Image: Health Above All Else

6 / 10

The classic green smoothie

Everyone has their version, but this is truly the ultimate morning alkaliser.

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Ingredients

5 frozen raw spinach and kale cubes (Hack: ice cube tray)
1 chopped frozen banana (Hack: sandwich bag in freezer)
2 cups nut milk of choice
1 tablespoon chia seeds
1 teaspoon nut butter of choice

Method

Serves: 2 – V:DF:GF

Add all ingredients to a blender.

Blend and enjoy.

Image: Nutrition Stripped

7 / 10

Shakshuka baked eggs

Be gone boring bacon and eggs! Impress your hungover mates with this easy one-pan dish. The cayenne pepper also gives your metabolism a good kick into high gear.

Ingredients

3 large eggs
¾ cup feta cheese, crumbled
1 red capsicum, seeded and sliced
1 tin crushed tomatoes
3 cups chopped fresh tomatoes (or 1 can)
1 medium red onion, sliced
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp sweet paprika
Pinch of cayenne, or to taste
Pinch of sea salt
Pinch of black pepper
Handful fresh, chopped coriander for garnish (optional)

Method

Serves: 2 – GF

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.

Heat a medium cast iron skillet over medium heat, then add the olive oil, cumin, paprika, salt and black pepper. Stir the spices for about 30 seconds to 1 minute, until they become fragrant.

Add the garlic, onion and capsicum. Stir to coat with the oil and spices, then continue to cook and stir for about 15 to 20 minutes or until the veggies soften. You don’t want them to brown so be sure the heat isn’t too high.

Add the crushed and fresh tomato and bring to a low simmer. Cook for about 10 minutes more until the fresh tomato softens. Stir in crumbled feta.

Now, you’ll add the eggs. Make little wells in the tomato sauce and crack an egg into each one. Place the skillet in the oven and bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until the whites are set. Carefully remove from the oven, garnish with coriander and serve.

Image: Flickr

8 / 10

Classic hummus

Gone are the slow cooking classics to hand down the kids, all us Millennials care about is the golden mess of chickpeas. Forget store-bought when it’s this easy to make your own.

Ingredients

2 cups canned chickpeas, rinsed and well drained
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup tahini
Juice of 2 fresh lemons
Large drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves of garlic
Paprika, to serve

Method

Serves: 4 – V:DF:GF

Place all ingredients in small blender bowl. Pulse on high until well combined. Adjust seasonings to taste.

Transfer to a serving bowl and eat as is, or cover with olive oil and a dusting of paprika.

9 / 10

Homemade rye bread

A better choice for the digestive system and for saving kneading time. Unlike wheat flour, rye flour retains a large quantity of nutrients and dietary fibre.

Ingredients

2 ½ cups light rye flour
½ teaspoon of dry yeast
2 cups warm water
1 teaspoon of salt

Method

Makes 1 loaf – DF

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.

Add flour in a bowl and make a well (aka a hole).

Add the yeast into the well and pour ½ the water into it.

Let it rest for 15 minutes.

Add the remaining water and salt and mix very well with a wooden spoon (add more water if necessary).

Wet your hands and scrape all from the bowl, moulding it into a brick shape and place into a greased baking tin.

Sprinkle the top with seeds.

Bake in the oven for 45 minutes.

10 / 10

Taco salad

Mexican food brings people together, so whip up this delicious, spicy masterpiece at your next social gathering.

Ingredients

For salad

1 firm-ripe avocado, squared
½ head iceberg lettuce, thinly sliced
1 large tomato, chopped
1 cup grated extra-sharp cheddar
1 tin black beans, drained and rinsed
¼ bag of tortilla chips
10 jalapenos, halved

For dressing

1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 cup chopped fresh coriander
1 fresh chopped chili
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
Pinch sea salt
Pinch black pepper
4 tbsps olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

Method

Serves: 4 – V:GF

Whisk together lime juice, coriander, fresh chopped chili, garlic, cumin, salt, and pepper, then add oil in a stream, whisking until emulsified.

Peel and pit an avocado, then cut into 1/2-inch pieces. Spread lettuce over bottom of a shallow 4-quart dish. Continue making layers with tomatoes, cheese, beans, jalapenos, tortilla chips and avocado.

Drizzle dressing over salad and enjoy.

Image: Yummy Mummy Kitchen

The Gen Y Nutritionist, Rosie, has a unique ability to connect with the next generation about what and how they eat in a way that is educational, sustainable and entertaining. As the founder of My Nutrition Adventure, Rosie’s knowledge extends to every type of eating plan be it vegetarian, gluten free, body specific and beyond.